Scottish-themed fancy-dress day at York Steiner School

Scottish-themed fancy-dress day at York Steiner School


8:07am Wednesday 8th May 2013 in Education


YOUNGSTERS at York Steiner School, in Fulford, took part in a Scottish-themed fancy-dress day.

The children and teachers came dressed in tartan and there was even a Loch Ness monster.

The York Steiner School is part of a network of 34 Steiner schools in the UK and the fun Scottish day was to help raise funds for the Glasgow Steiner School, which recently suffered from a devastating fire.

The children at York Steiner School had also drawn and written cards to send to the children in

Meanwhile, the school is inviting members of the public along to its annual spring fair on Saturday.

The event, at the school in Danesmead, will feature a fairy grotto, crafts, puppet show, Maypole dancing and food and drink. It will run from 11am to 4pm.

Steiner School re-opens after fire destroys Glasgow building

An independent school in Glasgow has re-opened in temporary premises - almost four weeks after fire destroyed its main building in the Yorkhill area. Up to 60 pupils were led to safety after the blaze broke out at the Glasgow Steiner School on 26 March.

The school is now operating out of West George College, formerly Kelvinhaugh Primary School, in Sandyford Street.

Lower school pupils returned on Monday. No date has yet been set for the Kindergarten re-opening.

School manager Catherine Turner said that an incredible amount of hard work had been done to allow the school to re-open. She said: "Our own staff and parents have been absolutely tremendous - the support we've had has been just amazing. "The work has been very hard. It's all come together and the school is looking great. The building looks very good and we're ready for the children to come back."

On its website, the Steiner School said it had been "overwhelmed by all the messages and offers of support we have received".

The statement said: "We are particularly grateful to the owners, board and staff of West George College, who stepped in with an extremely generous offer of accommodation and have helped in so many ways to make this viable.

"Glasgow University have generously donated and delivered furniture to equip our classrooms and joinery expertise to create new blackboards.

"Our amazing parents and staff have painted, cleaned, sanded and done a thousand other jobs to bring our new home to life."

The Steiner building in Lumsden Street was destroyed by the fire last month. At the height of the blaze, 55 firefighters and 10 appliances were deployed to prevent the fire spreading.

BBC News

Kings Langley ex student Sarine Sofair to star on big screen in The Look of Love

Kings Langley woman Sarine Sofair to star on big screen in The Look of Love


5:30pm Thursday 18th April 2013 in News By Rebecca Perring, Reporter

Sarine Sofair caught the acting bug in Kings Langley and now is preparing to see herself on the big screen alongside Steve Coogan and Stephen Fry.

The young actress attended the Rudolf Steiner School between the ages of four and 18, where she says she was always involved in numerous plays showcasing her dance talents.

These talents will now be on show in new cinema release The Look of Love, where she plays 1970s actress Yvonne Charles alongside acting stars including Steve Coogan, Stephen Fry, Anna Friel, Matt Lucas and Imogen Poots in the film directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Ms Sofair recalled the time she used to attend tap and ballet classes at a church in Chipperfield and was guided by her mother, Louise Sofair, who was a drama and English teacher at the school in Langley Hill.

The 28-year-old said: “At Steiner we were always involved in some kind of play, performance or rhythmic form of performance and I picked up a great love of dance while at the school.

“I grew up positively drenched in stories and story-telling and am very fortunate to have had a Waldorf education. Although I didn’t realise acting was a real job until around the age of ten, at Steiner I learnt the importance of creativity throughout all walks of life and my love for performance was nurtured.”

Ms Sofair, who now lives in London, has also appeared in the film Anna Karenina last year alongside Keira Knightley, as well as in commercial, video and photography projects.

She said she was walking through London’s Soho when her agent called and said she had got the part.

The Look of Love is based on the true story of Paul Raymond, the “King of Soho”, who is played by Steve Coogan. It is to be released next Friday, April 26.

She said: “I was so pleased to have got the part and was trying not to scream on the streets of Soho. It was one of my happiest moments because I was so lucky to have got the part so soon after Anna Karenina.

"During filming and rehearsals I was working close to such brilliant actors who would be in the dressing room or in the audience, which was such a brilliant experience.”

When asked where she sees herself in ten years’ time, Ms Sofair replied “doing this”.

Glasgow School Fire

Our thoughts are with the children, parents and staff of the Glasgow Steiner School after a devastating fire swept through their building on Tuesday 26th.

Fire crews were called to the building at 11.30 am and by the time of their arrival the fire was well developed. Around 60 children had to be evacuated to a nearby community centre. No injuries were reported.

School manager Kathryn Turner said: "The only word anybody can use is devastated. It's a Victorian building, it's a much-loved building — a loved school.
"You can't put into word show you feel, it's — I think devastation. The kids are distraught, families are just heart-broken."

 For more, go to: Glasgow School Fire

Exemptions from EYFS: Nursery World Article

Our schools gain exemptions from EYFS

From Nursery world: Catherine Gaunt, 28 January 2013, 12:00am

Steiner kindergartens have been successful in achieving exemptions from those aspects of the Early Learning Goals in the EYFS that do not fit with the Steiner educational philosophy and ethos. The ruling applies to all Steiner settings.

Beechtree Steiner Kindergartens in Leeds

A joint application for exemptions and modifications from certain aspects of the EYFS was made by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, the umbrella organisation that represents Steiner schools and early childhood settings in the UK.

The SWSF was asked by the settings to make the case for opting out of some of the ELGs and the entire literacy educational programme on the basis that aspects of the EYFS run counter to Steiner's 'established principles', meaning that Steiner kindergartens cannot meet the EYFS requirements, without compromising their ethos and practice.

This week, letters have been sent out from the Department for Education to all Steiner settings that applied to confirm that the Secretary of State has approved their applications.

The ruling is not time limited and will apply for as long as the setting follows the established Steiner principles, and once applied does not run out until there is a change to statutory regulations.

Full exemption has been granted from the literacy ELGs - reading and writing - on the grounds that it is an established principle in the Steiner early years curriculum that young children are not taught to read and write before rising seven.

Full exemption has also been granted from the assessment requirements of the EYFS, so that Steiner settings will not have to complete the EYFS Profile and send the results to the local authority.

The case was also made for modifications to ELGs for communication and language, physical development, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design, and these were also granted.